I have long avoided Passerini because I had the impression from some reviews I had read that it was a kind of trendy, pretentious and rather expensive place, not my favorite qualities in a restaurant. My friend Jean-Michel wanted to go there, however, so I put my preconceptions aside and went for dinner with him.
Well, I was wrong. Passerini is an attractive, smallish restaurant with a modern decor; friendly, reactive service; and high-quality food. And it wasn’t even that expensive.
My meal couldn’t have started any better. A dish of ricotta-stuffed zucchini-flower tempura sent me straight to heaven. Accompanying the light-as-air tempura were slices of yellow squash and a perfect fig, complemented by a lovely aioli.
J-M, as he will hereafter be known, went for the chipirones (baby squid), cooked on a wood fire quickly enough to remain tender. The squid was mixed with lovely seasonal Paimpol white beans, guanciale, corn and verveine (verbena) sauce. He loved it, but was perhaps not as ecstatic as I was with my tempura.
Next, I ordered one of my very favorite pasta dishes: linguine with baby clams (vongole). This is where I made a big mistake by not carefully reading the menu, which clearly stated that it also contained smoked herring. Blasphemy! Those intensely flavored bits of smoked fish completely overwhelmed the delicate flavor of the clams and, in my opinion, made a mockery of a classic Italian dish. Maybe if my expectations hadn’t been so high after that fantastic starter, I might have learned to like this iconoclastic combination, but I doubt it. For his part, J-M thought it was quite good.
He also relished his tagliatelle with osso buco ragoût, saffron, girolle mushrooms and Parmesan. His appreciation of the dish was enhanced by his personal knowledge of how difficult and time- onsuming it is to make this sauce, having done so himself.
The desserts were a big hit. I had a fig tart (more perfect figs) with frangipane, a wonderful crust and delightful crème-pâtissière ice cream.
J-M was as thrilled with his pistachio semifreddo – with fromage-blanc foam, fresh tarragon (a touch he particularly liked) and reine claude prunes – as I had been with my starter.
As much as I hate to admit it, J-M was right. I will happily go back to Passerini while, of course, taking care to avoid the linguine with clams and (horrors!) smoked herring.
See our Favorite Restaurants by Arrondissement page to find a good restaurant in the neighborhood where you want to eat.
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